STACEY PERKINSON
Owner/Artistic Director
Originally from Richmond, VA, Perkinson began her training at Richmond Ballet, The State Ballet of VA. Perkinson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education from George Mason University, YPAD Certified, and was recently named Educator of the Year from the Tennessee Association of Dance. Her passion for dance education in the Chattanooga community led to the opening of Scenic City Dance in 2011.
NATALIE BUCZYNSKY
Program Director
Natalie began her dance training in Athens, GA with a concentration in ballet and contemporary at the award winning production company OYSP. She received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Berry College where she was also a dancer and choreographer for the Berry College Dance Troupe. Natalie attended graduate school at the University of London where she earned a masters degree in neuroscience and completed a dissertation on the effects of dance on emotional processing and intelligence while taking classes at the Royal Ballet's School of Dance. Natalie enjoys working as an educator and director at Scenic City Dance, encouraging physical and emotional development through dance and bringing the joy of dance to young people.
KAITY SMITH
Company Manager/Instructor
Kaity Smith is originally from Nashville, TN where she started training in dance at the young age of three. She joined one of Nashville’s top competitive companies at the age seven where she learned the value of criticism, teamwork, graciousness, and courtesy. She went on to win over fifty top national awards over her eleven-year span. Kaity has a Bachelor of the Arts degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is the manager and an award-winning choreographer for SCD’s Competitive Company and a devoted, loving teacher. She hopes to share her passion and love for dance with the students at SCD and help them become better dancers, mentally and physically.
HALEY MATCHACK
Instructor
Frank Hay grew up in the Bay Area of California where he first studied dance and gymnastics with his father. His early training included performing children’s roles with such notable companies as the San Francisco Ballet and the touring Bolshoi and Mariinsky Ballet Companies. He majored in ballet with an emphasis on performance technique at the University of Utah under an academic scholarship. Frank then joined Ballet West where he trained with Willam Christensen, Bruce Marks, Toni Lander and Leon Danilian. Frank was a principal dancer with the Atlanta Ballet, the Tampa Ballet and the Louisville Ballet. His first engagement with Louisville Ballet included a tour of Texas with Mikhail Baryshinikov. He also served as the adjudicator for the Pacific Northwest Music Fest and coached a dancer in the 2002 USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Frank is well-versed in the Russian, Cecchetti, and Bournonville schools of classical ballet.
MEG DECK
Instructor/ Company Choreographer
Born and raised in Lancaster, PA Meg Deck began dancing at the age of six. As a member of her local studio’s competitive team she won numerous awards and scholarships along the way, and at seventeen she began her teaching career. College took her to Oklahoma City University where she studied Dance Performance and was a member of the American Spirit Dance Team. After a move to Nashville, TN in 1999, she taught at F.A.C.E.S. for it’s duration, and then transitioned to Rockstar Academy of Dance where she was on staff for 14 years. A move to Chattanooga in 2021 brought her to the Scenic City Dance family. Proficient in Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, and Musical Theater, her work has received numerous choreography awards and overall National Titles.
REBEKAH SAULS
Instructor
A native of Chattanooga, TN Rebekah trained for fifteen years with Ballet Tennessee. Rebekah went on to earn her Bachelors of Arts in Dance with a Modern Concentration at Kennesaw State University. While studying at KSU she had the opportunity to train with Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Dance Company, and the Atlanta Ballet. Rebekah's ballet classes include influences from the Cecchetti, Russian and Balanchine methods of classical ballet. Rebekah holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and also teaches first grade. She began teaching at Scenic City Dance in 2013 and in her time with the studio has found a passion for integrating traditional educational theories into the dance classroom. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction.
CANDACE RICKETTS
Instructor
Candace started dancing in Chattanooga at the age of three before going professional. She spent her first summer training professionally with Boston Ballet at the age of 15 and had the honor of being accepted into programs like SAB, Houston Ballet, Miami City Ballet and ABT. She was offered a contract to join the Charlotte Ballet in 2014, where she danced in the company before retiring from the stage in 2018. While with Charlotte Ballet, Candace performed in many productions including ballets by George Balanchine, two world premiers by Sasha Janes, Dwight Rhoden works, the North American premier of The Most Incredible Thing, and understuding Ohad Naharin's Minus 16. She also had the privilege of working with Patricia McBride, Peter Chu, Dwight Rhoden, Sasha Janes, Mark Diamond, Javier de Frutos, and many others in her career. Candace has found a new passion in teaching and loves to help students at SCD improve and pursue their own joy in dance
Scenic City Dance (SCD) was created in September 2011 under the direction of Stacey Perkinson. Her journey began when she relocated from New York City and wanted to continue her career in dance. With her dance education and performance experience, she crafted the dream of opening a dance facility that strives on dance education. The main focus of SCD is prepare, mold, and educate dancers not only in performance, but dance as an art form. SCD believes in structured dance discipline, with classes incorporating a thorough warm-up, technique in center or barre, and center work including combinations and/or choreography.
Scenic City Dance believes every child has the ability to learn and develop as a dancer. We provide a recreational and professional path in our program. We have prepared dancers for high school and college level dance teams, and graduates attending college for dance. We believe in providing a strong foundation to develop a very well-rounded dancer and individual. Our environment is creative, fun, and inspiring! So whether you are looking to continue your dance career after high school or just simply train in the art, SCD has you covered!
The instructors at Scenic City Dance are what make our program one of the best! Our teachers are highly qualified in the field of dance. With either a dance degree, professional performance experience, or award winning choreography titles, SCD's staff has been hand-picked to bring you the best training possible in the Chattanooga area.
We provide various styles including Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Acro, and more for dancers age 3 to 18. We also offer drop-in classes to adults with no registration required! Our season follows the Hamilton County school systems August through May.
So the real questions is...what are you waiting for!? Sign your child up today!